In 27 cities across the United States, seriously injured accident victims could end up in a medical experiment, without their knowledge or consent.The experiment involves an artificial blood called Polyheme.The federal government has given the company that makes it approval to use badly bleeding accident victims as test subjects, without the subjects informed consent.The only way out is to wear a blue bracelet provided by the company. The company says it's the only way to test such a product.But others, including Pastor Paul Burleson of a Denver church alliance, say it turns Americans into human guinea pigs. ... http://blogs.abcnews.com

Ehren Watada is a soldier who doesn't want to fight in Iraq. Watada, a 28-year-old Army first lieutenant based at Fort Lewis, Wash insists that he is not a conscientious objector. He has even offered to fight in Afghanistan. But he contends that agreeing to fight in Iraq would violate his oath as a soldier to resist "unlawful orders." At a June 7 news conference, he denounced the war & accused the Bush admin of lying in order to start it. As a result, the Army formally charged Watada on Wed with publicly declaring the war "illegal," criticizing the president & refusing to deploy to Iraq with his unit last month. Watada's case, his attorney says, will raise important questions about the First Amendment rights of soldiers & what punishment they should face for questioning the actions & orders of superiors. Too bad we don’t have more Officers like this. Most forget they ever swore to Protect and Defend the Constitution, and will instead protect their future promotions or pensions ...http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/15002334.htm

A US warplane dropped 4 500-pound bombs on a militant hide-out in southern Afghanistan on Mon, killing more than 40 suspected Taliban fighters, officials said as Britain announced it is sending more troops to the region. One Afghan soldier was killed and 3 soldiers in the US led coalition were wounded during the battle at the Taliban base in Uruzgan, after heavy clashes in a neighboring province over the weekend left 20 militants and a Canadian soldier dead. It was the latest fighting in a coalition offensive after Taliban militants launched a wave of suicide attacks, bombings and brazen assaults on security forces in the hardline Islamic militia's southern heartland. Suspects we Bomb, and all dead are Suspected Terrorists or Extremists. And anyone we can’t call as such is just Collateral Damage. We drop a Bomb on a house full of people because we “suspect” it might contain an Extremist, maybe you better tell me again, who is Terrorizing whom, and who are the Extremists??? ...http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5942217,00.html

Israel has rejected criticism that its military offensive in the Gaza Strip is a disproportionate use of force. PM Ehud Olmert said there was no other way to stop "the fear, the shocks, the lack of security" of Israeli civilians facing daily rocket attacks from Gaza. At least 42 Palestinians and an Israeli have died in raids launched after militants seized an Israeli soldier. An exiled militant leader called the Israeli a prisoner of war who must be swapped for Palestinian detainees. "We are for a peaceful, quiet resolution. The solution is simple: an exchange, but Israel rejects that," Khaled Meshaal, Hamas' political leader, said at a news conference. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5164258.stm

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Monday a flourishing drug trade in Afghanistan may be helping fuel a Taliban resurgence, potentially undermining the young Afghan democracy. "I do worry that the funds that come from the sale of those products could conceivably end up adversely affecting the democratic process in the country," he told reporters accompanying him on an overnight flight from Washington. "I also think anytime there is that much money floating around and you have people like the Taliban that it gives them an opportunity to fund their efforts in various ways," he added in the interview. U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 to oust the radical Taliban regime, and although the country now has a democratically elected government the Taliban have made been making a comeback. Inconvenient Facts. The Taliban had killed the Drug Trade in their territory, and the US Government even gave them about 40 million dollars for wiping out the Poppy growers ...http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,202787,00.html

For state employees in New Jersey, the weeklong, unexpected break is over.State workers headed back to work Monday after a government shutdown temporarily halted most state services last week and closed Atlantic City's 12 casinos for three days.The shutdown, spurred by a budget impasse between Gov. Jon S. Corzine and his fellow Democrats who control the state Legislature, ended Saturday morning after the Assembly and the Senate passed a compromise $30.8 billion spending plan that boosted the state sales tax from 6% to 7%.The shutdown began after the state failed to have a balanced budget in place by July 1, as mandated by the state constitution. It forced the temporary layoffs of about 45,000 state workers, because the money to pay them had not been authorized by the Legislature.Only state police and others considered essential to the health, safety and welfare of state residents were allowed to remain on the job....http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-07-10-newjersey_x.htm?csp=34